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Affiliate Marketing with Tatto Media

The following is a paid review for TylerCruz.com written and reviewed by Michael Kwan. It is completely of Michael Kwan’s opinion and is not influenced by being paid. If you’re interested in having your site or product reviewed, please view my advertising page.

With so many different advertising networks for you to consider when it comes to monetizing your website or blog, it can be quite the daunting decision to choose just the right one for your type of traffic, your kind of demographics, and your particular area of interest. There is no such thing as a one size fits all solution when it comes to affiliate marketing, because each niche and each application is just a little different.

One of the newest entries into the affiliate marketing arena is Tatto Media, a network that boasts it is the leader in behavioural advertising and it is focused on utilizing technology to produce immediate results. Naturally, your mileage will vary accordingly.

Tatto Media Inks You a Deal

You have to be a little careful when you are looking at this particular affiliate marketing network, but it is Tatto Media and not Tattoo Media. This has nothing to do with getting a wicked tribal design on your bicep or some dragon running down your back.

I mentioned a brief moment ago that Tatto Media is one of the newest entries into the affiliate marketing arena, but that’s not completely true. In fact, Tatto Media was founded in 2005 in Boston. What sets Tatto Media apart from other networks like it? For starters, the developers say that they are focused on the quality of the offers rather than sheer quantity. In this way, you can have some assurance that they have screened the different affiliate offers in their network.

Keeping It Clean and Simple

You’ll also notice that they have kept things relatively clean and simple on their end, not bombarding you too many flashy graphics or complicated user interfaces.

From the main affiliates’ system dashboard, you will initially be greeted with a Snapshot of your affiliate account. On the left, you’ll see your stats at a glance. My account is brand new, so obviously there is no data to display. Along the right side, you’ll get quick links (offer links and today’s stats by offer), network updates, account manager information, and your referral link. More on that in a moment.

Offers at a Glance

What really sets one affiliate network apart from the others are the offers available through the network. Navigating to the offers section on the affiliate system dashboard, we discover an extensive list of possibilities.

While you could certainly peruse through the entire list of affiliate offers, you can also restrict your search based on the category. Choose from Dating, Education, Email Submit, Entertainment, Finance, Health, Insurance, and Mobile.

Alternatively, you can click on any of the headings to organize the list based on that information. For instance, you can sort the offers based on payout level (which can range from $0.24 to $96.00). You’ll notice that the geographic restrictions are also visible from this page. Not surprisingly, most offers are for the United States, though you’ll also find some for Canada, New Zealand, and other international locations.

In the email that I received from the Tatto Media representatives, they are particularly proud of the exclusive Mobile ads that are part of their network. These aren’t ads that are being displayed in a mobile format, per se. Instead, they’re mobile-centric offers that you’ll be displaying on regular websites and through email marketing.

For instance, the AskNow Psychic offer shown above will lead visitors to AskNow.com. You earn the $20 commission when the visitor submits a valid credit card.

One of the stranger things about Tatto Media is that they do not seem to provide you with any ad creatives to use aside from a simple link. Other networks will typically supply you with a range of banners, email templates, and other similar tools that you can use as part of your marketing efforts. With Tatto Media, you need to contact your affiliate manager if you would like to receive any banners and other related creatives.

Tracking Links and Conversion Tracking Pixels

Clicking through on any of these offers, mobile or otherwise, will reveal the offer information page. This is where you get the basics, like a description and payout, but it is also here that you can generate tracking links.

Beneath the basic offer information, you’ll find two additional sections. The first is for generating tracking links, which runs through click2go.org. This tracking URL can be used for your marketing campaigns. You can define sub IDs too.

The second section reveals a place where you can define conversion tracking pixels. This uses third-party HTML pixels and you must define this yourself. It’ll work with iFrame, image, and JavaScript pixels. This is a more advanced feature that you may not find on other networks.

Statistics, Reports, and Referrals

As with just about every other network out there, Tatto Media also offers you a full slate of reports and statistics to mull over.

From the statistic page, you can generate reports for any selected date period, reviewing data related to impressions, clicks, click-thru rate, leads, LTR (lead-thru rate?), payout, eRPC, and RPL. Tatto Media goes even further by breaking the data based not only on a per-day basis, but also on a per-hour basis if you’d like.

From a related page, you can also review your stats as related to the referral program. When you refer new affiliates to Tatto Media, you earn a 1.00% bonus based on their revenue. As far as I can tell, this referral program is only for one level but you continue to earn this bonus as long as those you refer remain active with Tatto Media.

Should You Affiliate with Tatto Media?

The finer details related to Tatto Media are not immediately obvious when you first surf onto the network’s main page. It would have been very valuable if they were to set up a basic FAQ page that would address some of the basic concerns that publishers and affiliates may have.

For instance, you have to read into the fine print of the Tatto Media Affiliate Agreement to learn that payment appears to be on a net-30 schedule. It is also not immediately obvious how you will receive payment, though diving into the account information area reveals that wire transfer is the default. You can also opt for a check via mail or instant payment via PayPal.

Prima facie, Tatto Media looks like a fairly standard affiliate network with a fairly standard slate of features. The mobile-centric offers are a nice touch and the simplicity of the user dashboard are definite pluses, but they’re not really enough to sway me one way or the other. There’s no harm in giving them a try, though, so feel free to sign up at your convenience.